Eloping in France

Are you just engaged and considering an elopement wedding in France? But where and how? Here is some information that we hope will help!

Your perfect elopement location

Of course when thinking about a romantic wedding in France Paris comes to mind first. The thing is, when eloping, it is just the two of you… obviously. So this means that there is lots of time for couple photos where other brides and grooms would organise a long cocktail reception and stay among their guests. So choosing a location that offers a great variety of backgrounds for your photos makes sense. Paris is a great choice of course, but so are Provence where you can find lavender fields, the South West for vineyards and sunflower fields, or the Riviera for sea side photos. It is about the type of scenery you would like for your wedding and couple photos.

And about the planning

Of course planning an elopement seems easier than planning a bigger wedding with lots of family and friends. There are still quite a few things that need to be sorted. For ceremony, you would have to decide whether you are after a religious ceremony (so you would need to organise a Church/Temple and a celebrant) or a symbolic one (meaning you would need to organise a location and a celebrant). Once this is organised, it is about planning the day or week end of your dream, as you want it, doing what you like!

To be sure you make the most of your destination elopement in France, discuss the planning of the day with your French wedding planner and photographer in details: where, when, will the places be open and not too crowded, how are you going to go from one point to the other, how will the light be at the time of day you are planning to take photos in such or such place,…? It has to be a fun and relaxed time for the two of you, not a hassle or a disappointment because the place you wanted to take photos in shut 30 minutes before your arrival. Make an Internet research about events taking place around your wedding date so you can take everything into consideration in your photo shoot plans.

When you come back

Many couples organise a post elopement reception at home to celebrate their marriage with friends and family. It can be a formal dinner, a chic cocktail reception with dancing or a fun evening in a private area of a club, your choice. In any case your French wedding planner in London can also help you plan this event!

If you would like to discuss your elopement in France do not hesitate to contact us at Et Voila Weddings, your French wedding planners in London!